Free foundation and crawl space inspection, with a written price from a local Richmond crew. Tell us what you see and get a call back, usually the same day.
✓Clay soil the counties mapHenrico County requires a soils report before it permits a new home or addition where its maps show moderate or high shrink-swell soil. Chesterfield County asks for a sealed soils report on every new single-family home. Clay that swells when wet and shrinks when dry can lift or drop part of a house.henrico.gov
✓An 18-inch frost lineHenrico County lists its frost line at 18 inches and rates the local weathering risk as severe. Winters are mild, but wet ground still freezes and thaws, and shallow footings on older homes and porches can heave.henrico.gov
✓Few basements, many crawl spacesOnly about 4 to 7 percent of homes in the city of Richmond have a basement, one Virginia study of home sales found. Most of the rest sit on a crawl space or a slab, so much of the trouble here starts under the floor.jeswork.com
✓Very old homesAbout 29 percent of homes in the city of Richmond were built before 1940, according to an analysis of Census data. The Fan was mostly built between 1890 and 1930, and Church Hill has the most homes from before the Civil War of any Richmond neighborhood.stacker.com
✓The James River floodsHurricane Agnes pushed the James to a crest of about 36.5 feet in 1972. The Shockoe Bottom floodwall came later, but in 2004 Tropical Storm Gaston dropped close to a foot of rain and about 20 blocks there were declared unlivable.claimsjournal.com
✓Virginia license ruleVirginia requires a state contractor license for jobs of $1,000 or more. Any contractor can be checked on the Virginia DPOR license lookup before you sign.fairfaxcounty.gov
What it costs
Typical published ranges for Richmond. The contractor's written estimate is the price, and the inspection is free.
Work
Typical range
Foundation and crawl space inspectionThrough Richmond Foundation Repair
Free
Most foundation repairs, national range
$2,200 to $8,200
Foundation repair in Richmond, minor to major jobs
Cracks, sagging floors or a damp crawl space? You are not alone in Richmond
You probably saw something that worried you. Maybe a crack showed up in the brick. Maybe a floor feels soft, or a bedroom door started to stick. Maybe you looked under the house and saw water, mold or wet insulation hanging down. These are the things Richmond homeowners call about most.
The good news is that most foundation problems can be fixed without tearing anything out. The first step is finding out what is really going on. That is what the free inspection is for.
Here is how it works. You call (804) 293-2238 or send the short form. We connect you with one local foundation contractor who works in Richmond. The inspector comes out, checks your floors, looks at the cracks inside and out, and goes under the house if you have a crawl space. Then you get a written price. There is no charge for the visit and no pressure to say yes.
Problems a local crew can fix
You do not need to know the right words. Tell us what you see. These are the problems people in Richmond call about most:
A musty smell in the house, or a damp, moldy crawl space
Floors that sag, bounce or slope, so a ball rolls to one side of the room
Water or puddles under the house after it rains
Insulation falling down from under the floor
Stair-step cracks in the brick outside, often near a corner
A crack over a door or window that keeps getting longer
Doors that stick or will not latch anymore
A basement wall that is cracked, leaking or pushing in
The contractor we connect you with handles all the common fixes:
Foundation repair for a house that has sunk, cracked or gone out of level
Crawl space repair for wet crawl spaces, mold, sagging floors and rotted wood, including full crawl space sealing
Wall anchors for basement and crawl space walls that bow or lean in
Not sure if what you see is serious? The signs of foundation problems page shows which ones need a look soon and which ones are usually cosmetic.
Why foundations move in Richmond
Richmond has its own mix of soil, water and old houses. That mix shapes the problems people see here.
Two kinds of ground meet here. Richmond sits on the fall line, where the hard rock of the Piedmont meets the softer sand and clay of the Coastal Plain. That is why the James River drops through rapids downtown. It also means soil can change a lot from one part of town to the next. West of the city, much of Chesterfield sits on the Richmond Basin, an old rock basin filled with sandstone and shale.
Damp, humid weather. Richmond gets about 43.6 inches of rain a year, spread over every month, based on 1991 to 2020 normals. Summers are hot and humid. That damp air is hard on crawl spaces. A U.S. Department of Energy funded study of homes in the humid Southeast found that vented crawl spaces often went above 80 percent humidity in summer. That is the kind of damp that leads to mold and rot.
Old houses, and new ones. Old brick homes in the city often need masonry and support work. In the suburbs it is the other way around. About 86 percent of new homes in the South Atlantic region were built on a slab in 2024, so many newer homes in Henrico and Chesterfield sit on concrete slabs.
Low ground near the river. Homes in low spots near the James and its creeks should have water carried well away from the foundation.
What moves your price
The prices on this page are typical published ranges from Fixr, HomeBlue and HomeAdvisor, not a quote.
The size of the job moves the price more than anything else. Your written estimate shows what is wrong, what the fix is, and what is included, before any work starts. See the full Richmond foundation repair cost guide for more detail.
How it works
Call (804) 293-2238 or send the form. Tell us what you are seeing. A photo of the crack or the crawl space helps, but it is not required.
Free inspection. A local foundation crew checks your floor levels, maps the cracks, and looks under the house. They also check gutters, grading and where the water goes.
Written estimate. You get a plan and a price in writing. It shows what is wrong, how they would fix it, and what it costs.
You decide. No pressure. If you go ahead, the contractor schedules the work and handles any permit the job needs.
A crack that grows, or a crawl space that stays wet, costs more the longer it waits. The inspection is free, the price comes in writing, and the choice is yours.
Frequently asked questions
Is the foundation inspection really free?
Yes. The inspection and the written estimate cost you nothing, and you do not sign anything to get them. You decide later if you want the work done.
Who comes out to my house?
Richmond Foundation Repair is a referral service. We connect you with one independent local foundation contractor who works in Richmond. That crew does the inspection, writes the estimate and does the work if you hire them.
How fast can someone look at my house?
Most people who call get a call back the same day. The inspection is set for a time that works for you, often within a few days. If a door suddenly will not close, a crack is growing fast, or there is standing water under the house, say so on the call.
My house has a crawl space. Do you help with that too?
Yes. Crawl spaces are one of the most common things Richmond homeowners call about. The inspector checks for wet soil, mold, sagging joists, rotted wood and failing piers, and tells you what needs fixing and what does not.
Do I need to replace my whole foundation?
Almost never. Most Richmond homes are fixed by supporting the part that sank, adding support under a sagging floor, drying out a wet crawl space, or fixing the water problem that caused the movement.
Why do Richmond houses have foundation problems?
Parts of the Richmond area sit on clay that swells when wet and shrinks when dry. Rain is steady all year and summers are humid, so the soil stays damp and crawl spaces stay wet. Many homes are also very old.
Can I wait and see if it gets worse?
You can, but small problems cost less to fix than big ones. A wet crawl space can lead to rot and mold over time. A free inspection tells you if the house is still moving and how urgent it is.